Lib Dems raise concerns over Probation Service cuts
June 18, 2009 6:00 PM
Fears over substantial cuts to the Probation Service budget in the Northumbria police force area have been raised by the Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesman for Newcastle East, Greg Stone.
Probation Service staff represented by the National Association of Probation Officers have highlighted concerns over a £1.6m budget shortfall which is expected to lead to the loss of over 30 jobs through redundancy and redeployment at a time when caseloads are already overstretched. 24 trainee probation officers will not now be taken on despite the service having paid for their training. Further budget cuts are feared in coming years.
Greg Stone said "I am deeply worried that these cuts to the service will impede efforts to cut reoffending. We have recently seen the effects of an overstretched service in relation to the shocking Sonnex murder case in London. Staff have raised concerns with me that these cuts will seriously affect frontline provision, and that budgets may fall by between 13 and 25% as funding is reallocated to an expensive and ineffective layer of bureaucracy and the cost of a failing £530 million IT programme."
"I have asked NAPO officials to provide me with a further briefing on their concerns and intend to take this matter up with the Ministry of Justice."
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